Blog Archives

After nearly ten years in the radio business, I would’ve never imagined I’d cover so much history in the entertainment community. I’ve started to realize three things: life is short, fragile, and the life you’re given is as real as it gets. With the recent death of Whitney Houston, a world renowned entertainer, I started to reflect on the legends lost over my young radio career. I was on-air when we lost Luther Vandross, Barry White, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Teena Marie, Heavy D, Don Cornelius, James Brown, Etta James, and other notables that I’ve probably overlooked. Not to sound opportunistic or cynical, but when we lose a celebrity this becomes a huge moment for radio to shine. One major market programmer brought up a good point, listeners turn to radio during those heartbreaking moments to seek validity, remembrance, and vocal expression. Another programmer mentioned “suicidal celebrities..please not on the weekends”. Both thought-provoking statements and the fuel behind why I work harder during moments of celebrity bereavement for my listening audience. Read the rest of this entry →

So many random thoughts come to mind when you first hear the name Tyrese Gibson.

“That’s guy from the movie Babyboy”

“He’s the guy who sang Sweet Lady”

“Wasn’t he in a Coke commercial years ago?”

His devotion and hard work resonates across many different areas. Beyond his obvious background of actor, father, and singer you would be surprised to know that he’s also an author and has an interest in martial arts. Recently, I had the privilege to see the human side of Tyrese when I interviewed him on my afternoon drive radio show. He had just came off a long flight, hectic media tour around Memphis, and was operating on nothing but a bag of Cheetos. His walk was slow and his speak off-microphone was very little, however; when the on-air light came on Tyrese quickly became one of my favorite celebrity interviews. His wisdom was compelling and his advice was practical. Listen to the interview below!

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When you think about R&B, classic artists such as Anita Baker, Barry White, or The O’Jays may come to mind. It’s amazing how their music from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s remains relevant and still sounds pleasing to ears today. The music director in me loves to research listener behavior and patterns. So, I spent some time snooping around my 12 year old niece’s iPod and shockingly found a number of classic R&B songs in her mix with newer titles. I even discovered some Michael Jackson tracks that I forgot about! My logical guess is that she was exposed to their music through her parents/grandparents, who fall within the core Adult Urban age cells. Although very few R&B songs these days are able to stand the test of time, I’d say the genre of music is healthier now than it’s been in a while. Consider this my version of R&B Grammy nominations..I list them, you decide? Read the rest of this entry →